


Rest and Relaxation

by Mars_McKie



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Caring, Fluff, Illnesses, M/M, Role Reversal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-20
Updated: 2019-12-20
Packaged: 2021-02-25 06:00:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21871204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mars_McKie/pseuds/Mars_McKie
Summary: "I would love a story where Ignis overworks himself to the point of exhaustion or even a nervous breakdown. Then roles are reversed as Noctis has to care for him."For the FFXV Holiday Gift Exchange 2019
Relationships: Noctis Lucis Caelum/Ignis Scientia
Comments: 9
Kudos: 36
Collections: FFXV Holiday Gift Exchange 2019





	Rest and Relaxation

**Author's Note:**

  * For [cruellae (tinkabelladk)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tinkabelladk/gifts).



Ignis huffed as he opened the door to Noct’s apartment. It was his second attempt at the lock, as on the first attempt he had tried to unlock the door with the key for his own apartment. Perhaps that had been wishful thinking on his part after a long day.

He plucked up the shoehorn and slipped off his shoes in the hallway, his head spinning as he bent down to set them neatly by the front door. He pushed the dizzy feeling aside. The usual mess greeted him as he peered into the bedroom, then more bin bags, empty packets and drinks bottles greeted him in the living room and kitchenette. The Prince himself was lounged out on the sofa.

“Hey Specs, what was up with the door?” Noctis said, looking up from his phone.

“Good evening, Noct,” Ignis replied. “I had a slight issue with the key.”

“Did you bring any more of those pastries?” Noct asked, sitting up hopefully.

“I’m afraid not,” Ignis said, setting his laptop bag and jacket on the island counter- he didn’t need to emphasise that he hadn’t the time that day for baking. Noctis huffed and turned back to his phone while Ignis searched in the cupboards for something for dinner, but they were completely bare. A search of the fridge yielded no more results. “You’re completely out of food?”

“I was going to message you to get groceries,” Noctis shrugged. “What’s this I heard about the Marshall handing your arse to you?”

Ignis grimaced as he pushed his spectacles up his nose. Crownsguard training had been particularly embarrassing as Ignis was knocked on his backside several times by Cor, who then sent him on several laps around the training arena as punishment. He presumed one of the other Crownsguard had notified Noctis of his failure.

“It was nothing I couldn’t handle,” Ignis lied and Noctis scoffed. 

“Are you sure? You’re looking kinda beat up about it.”

Truth be told, he had been flagging all day- after only three hours sleep due to typing up reports, his breakfast was replaced by a meeting that had been moved forward at the last minute, followed by another meeting with the council before his lunch break. Lunch itself was overtaken by the need to send some important emails and type up notes from the meetings (technically that and the reports were the job of other councillors but Ignis had long since been given the duty), before his scheduled engagement with King Regis to discuss Noctis’s progress in school. The engagement overran but Ignis felt unable to tell the King he needed to go, thus he turned up late to Crownsguard training. The Marshall was pissed, to say the least. He still needed to send out the minutes to the relevant parties, and the thought of dinner had been his one saving grace but now his mind was taken over by the need to buy groceries for his lazy Prince. 

Having had little rest, no food all day, several cups of coffee as a replacement, and four laps around the arena on top of that Ignis was fatigued and -dare he say it?- slacking.

“It’s been a long day; it’s nothing,” Ignis insisted. He took his phone out of his pocket and swiped to start a grocery list, but the keypad seemed to swim under his fingers. Ignis blinked several times, trying to get his eyes to focus, but the whole of the kitchen counter spun. His ears were ringing and Noctis might have been calling his name somewhere as his whole world slipped to the side.

*

Ignis’s whole being was surrounded by Noctis. His Prince was all he could feel, all he could smell. It was a soft, comfortable feeling of being blanketed with a warm hug; almost like being in bed.

With a slight shift of his limbs, Ignis realised he was actually in a bed. 

The covers were unfamiliar to him, yet the smell was that which he associated with Noct’s bedroom. He only had to crack open his eyes to confirm it- morning sun filtered through the curtains, softly illuminating the room.

_Morning sun_? He realised. The last he could remember he had been stood in the kitchen. Had he passed out? But then why was he in Noct’s bed?

Ignis rubbed his face as he sat up. He was still in the same clothes from the previous night though he lacked his glasses. He needed answers and he needed to make sure Noctis was OK. 

Before he could move out of the bed, the door opened and Noct’s face appeared in the crack, brightening on seeing Ignis sitting up.

“Hey, you’re awake!” Noctis beamed, moving into the room.

“Noct?” Ignis asked, his voice groggy. “What happened?”

“You sorta collapsed and fell asleep.”

Ignis’s eyes widened. “What time is it now?”

“8am.”

He had arrived at Noct’s apartment shortly after 6pm the previous night. That meant he had been out for nearly fourteen hours! Ignis sat up in alarm and made to swing his legs out of the bed, but Noctis stepped forward and pushed him back onto the mattress by the shoulders. 

“But the groceries!” Ignis protested. “The minutes, I need to-!”

“I got it sorted, Specs!” Noctis cut in.

That caught Ignis’s attention and he stopped struggling in alarm. “You...”

“I got groceries and I cleaned the flat and I sent your stupid minutes. Would you rest for five minutes?” Noctis huffed.

“I’ve been resting for over twelve hours,” Ignis grumbled in a protest, but he still lacked the strength to properly fight back against the hold and his stomach growled, making him know how little he’d eaten. He leaned back feebly against the pillows as there was a loud ringing noise from the doorbell.

“That’s the physician,” Noctis said. He smoothed over Ignis’s hair and dipped down to kiss him on the forehead before moving to the door. “Wait in bed, please?”

Ignis nodded, completely aghast as Noctis left the room. His charge said he’d got shopping, sent his minutes, _cleaned_. His hand reached up to touch the spot on the forehead where Noctis had kissed him- what alternate universe had he woken up in?

*

_Fourteen hours earlier_

Noctis watched as Ignis’s whole body sagged and he grabbed the half-empty drink bottle next to him, threw it across the room and warped after it, just in time to catch Ignis before he hit the ground. Even as Noctis tried to get a better grip, Ignis’s legs slipped out from under him and Noctis collapsed to the floor with Ignis on top of him.

“Shit, Specs!” Noctis cried. “You really weren’t kidding! It’s nothing to faint over!”

Ignis’s body was like a ragdoll on top of him and Noctis managed to pull his arms free. He could at least feel Ignis’s breath on the back of his neck so thankfully he wasn’t dead. 

“Specs? Iggy?” His breathing was rhythmic and -surprised- Noctis realised, “Wait; are you asleep? Ignis?”

There was no response even as Noctis tried to shake Ignis and manoeuvre himself into a more comfortable position, though thankfully the breathing remained constant. 

Noctis guessed Ignis had fallen asleep from exhaustion, and he could hardly say he was surprised. Ignis pushing himself too hard for too long was an all too familiar sight. Forcing him to wake up would probably be unfair, so he needed to get Ignis somewhere he could rest.

It would be so easy to slide Ignis off of him to let him sleep on the kitchen floor, though Noctis felt his advisor would take issue with the vinyl if he had been in his right mind. The sofa was covered with Noct’s stuff, so his bed was the only option.

Struggling to his feet, Noctis manoeuvred Ignis’s dead weight so that one arm was slung over his shoulders and Noct’s other arm was around Ignis’s waist. Ignis snuffled slightly at being moved but remained unconscious.

“Come on, Specs!” Noctis grunted. It was difficult with Ignis being much taller than him, and as Noctis took his first step Ignis slumped again and his glasses fell from his nose. Noctis flinched as he heard them crack on hitting the floor.

“Dammit!” Noct swore. Ignis was going to be pissed when he woke up to find them broken. 

In the time it took for him to drag Ignis to his bedroom, Noctis both thanked and cursed Gladio for each and every bench press his shield had ever made him do, until he inelegantly decanted Ignis onto his bed. He slung an amount of his old clothes and magazines from his bed onto the floor so that he could lift Ignis’s legs up onto the clear mattress, then pulled the covers over him.

Noctis stepped back to admire his work. Ignis looked so peaceful in his bed- lying on his back, his chest rising and falling softly. Sighing, Noctis leaned over to tuck in his advisor, then -shy that his friend might wake up- pressed his lips to his forehead.

“Goodnight, Specs. Please get better soon. I need you,” Noctis murmured, pulling the curtains to and quietly closing the door after him as he left.

Ignis taken care of, Noct’s stomach growled to remind him it was nearly dinnertime. His advisor unable to go out for groceries, Noctis was left to fend for himself and he was not allowed to leave his flat without a guard. That could be a problem.

Making his way back to the living room, his attention was drawn by the buzz of Ignis’s phone, lying next to his cracked spectacles on the kitchen floor. Picking the phone up, Noctis saw it was a reminder to ‘Send Minutes’. He also had seven email notifications, five texts waiting to be answered, and a missed call from a name Noctis might have recognised as someone on the council.

Swiping away the annoying alarm, Noctis grabbed his own phone to call Gladio. In the time it took his shield to not pick up and for Noctis to realise both he and Prompto were still in Crownsguard training, Ignis’s phone pinged with three more emails and two texts. Noctis scowled as he swiped them away. Why did Ignis’s phone have such an irritating sound notification? He would definitely need to change that, and he switched the phone to silent.

The option of Gladio and Prompto gone, Noctis scrolled through his limited contacts and considered his options. Iris was probably closest, so Noctis hit the call button and prayed to the astrals she would pick up.

“Noct?” Iris answered on the second ring.

“Iris,” Noctis sighed in relief. “I need your help.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Ignis passed out, I think from exhaustion. He’s fine, I put him to bed,” he quickly added as he heard Iris gasp in alarm. “I need someone to get groceries in, but Gladio and Prompto are both in training-”

“I’m so sorry, Noct,” Iris said, and Noctis only then realised her voice was hushed. “I’m grounded- I forgot to do my maths homework and I’m not allowed to leave the house. I’m not even supposed to answer my phone.”

“Dammit,” Noctis cursed.

“Can’t you get groceries online?”

“Huh?”

“Have you never done online shopping before?” Iris asked.

“I mean...” Noctis stammered, feeling stupid for not thinking of it himself. “I’ve ordered things from E-kweh and AMogzon, yeah, but I didn’t know you could get food on them.”

“No, you need to go onto the supermarket’s website,” Iris explained in a whisper. Noctis grabbed his tablet. 

“Wow, I can get so much on here,” Noctis gasped, tapping the supermarket website and scrolling through the lists of food items. “Why have I never done this before?”

“Since Ignis is ill I recommend getting him some soups and bread. When you find something you want you click Add To Basket,” Iris said. “You can check what you have by clicking on your Cart, then when you’re ready to pay you click on the Checkout sign. I need to go Noct, I can hear Jared on the stairs!”

“No sweat, thanks Iris,” Noctis said, and the call ended. He stared in wonder at the choices before him. Iris had recommended soup for Ignis, and Noctis found some cans that most resembled the stuff Ignis made him eat sometimes. He also got some thick cut bread, large packets of crisps, several new flavours of Cup Noodles, and party-sized bottles of fizzy drinks, among other purchases of sweets and cakes. The fact that there wasn’t a vegetable in sight and the addition of a cookie dough pie for dinner, Noctis knew Ignis would never approve.

Noctis had to fish out an old letter to find his flat’s address and selected rush delivery. He frowned at the total cost, grabbed the black credit card (for emergencies only, his dad had told him) from his jacket, hoped there would be enough on it, and clicked Pay. The confirmation flashed up and gave him an estimated delivery time of an hour.

Throwing the card back in the jacket, Noctis grinned as he sat back. That had been fun- he would definitely do that again!

His own phone rang -the ringtone that of a loud rock song- and Noctis jumped in alarm. Fumbling to answer it, he saw it was Clarus Amicitia. Why would his father’s Shield be calling him?

“Uh, hi?” Noctis said on answering.

“Your Highness,” Clarus said. Noctis winced at the formal address. “Is Ignis with you?”

“Yeah,” Noctis said, wondering how much he should say. He didn’t want Ignis to get into trouble.

“A number of the council have informed me they’ve been trying to contact him unsuccessfully. Our security tracked his phone to your location but no further; are you in any trouble?”

“Uh, no,” Noctis grimaced. It seemed like the truth couldn’t be avoided. “Iggy’s asleep right now.”

Noctis winced as Clarus repeated, “ _Asleep?_ ”

“He sorta passed out cold when he got here, I dunno if he might be ill or something,” Noctis explained. 

“I see,” Clarus said, his tone thoughtful. “I will inform the necessary persons as to his change in schedule. Although...”

“Ignis isn’t in any trouble, is he?” Noctis asked, his blood running cold with guilt.

“No, not at all,” Clarus replied quickly. “But if it’s not too much trouble, your Highness, there are some minutes on Ignis’s laptop that need to be sent over for the council. If you can forward those to me then I can get those sent out this evening. It would be a big help.”

“I guess I could have a look,” Noctis said, scratching his head. At least that should stop the constant hounding of Ignis’s phone.

“I can send Gladiolus tonight for extra security. And the royal physician in the morning for Ignis.”

“Why can’t he come now?” Noctis huffed. Surely Ignis was the most important person right now?

“He is currently seeing to his Majesty-”

“Right,” Noctis said shortly, the bitterness creeping into his tone.

“Do you require any further assistance?” Clarus asked, changing the subject.

“Nah, I’ve ordered some groceries online.”

Clarus was silent for a long moment. “You ordered groceries? I mean- that’s fine, your Highness. I will notify your doorman to expect the delivery.”

“Right,” Noctis said, swiftly ending the call. Going back to Ignis’s phone he saw so many more missed calls since he had last checked, along with another work alarm. The minutes proved to be complicated too- Noctis had long since cracked the password on Ignis’s laptop (Noct’s birthday) though trying to work out Ignis’s filing system to locate the correct file, then the correct document proved more tricky. He finally selected what he thought was the right one and sent it to Clarus.

His head spinning, Noctis closed the laptop and groaned. That had been hard work.

Getting lost in the multitude of files reminded Noctis how much work Ignis must do on a daily basis; how many people besides himself were probably depending on Ignis. It made him feel guilty when he considered the amount of work Ignis did for him; most of it going completely out of his way for like the pastries, groceries and report summaries. At what point had he started treating Ignis like his maid?

Feeling ashamed of himself, he cast his eyes around the room and decided to try to make amends. He sighed as he grabbed some bin bags, tried to work out the recycling from the non-recycling and put some plates in the sink, gradually tidying the living room.

He worked for a good ten minutes but so much time had passed on the laptop that he jumped when a knock at the door signalled the doorman with his many boxes of shopping. Noctis gawked at everything piled onto the kitchen island, having forgotten how much he’d ordered.

“Uh...” Noctis murmured, rubbing his head.

Another gentle knock at the door signalled Gladio’s arrival. The sight of someone more responsible than him was a welcome one. The fact that Prompto was with him didn’t hurt either.

“Hey,” Gladio said gruffly, walking in. Prompto shot him a wink as he passed. “Where is he?”

“In there,” Noctis whispered, pointing to his bedroom. They tiptoed in, Noctis and Prompto hanging back while Gladio inspected the sleeping Ignis.

“Recovery position would have been better; airways are clear, breathing’s normal, that’s good,” he murmured, placing a hand to Ignis’s forehead. He sighed in his sleep. “No temperature... any possible concussion?”

“Don’t think so- I caught him before he hit the deck,” Noctis said quietly. He was once again struck by how soft and small Ignis looked, tucked under the covers and lacking his glasses and neat hairdo. His lips were parted ever so slightly as he slept on, unaware of his visitors.

“Hm,” Gladio hummed, before standing up. “Quiet and rest then.”

He ushered Noctis and Prompto out the bedroom -Noctis sneaking one last glance at Ignis- and closed the door softly behind them. Noctis breathed a sigh of relief, the worry he’d felt over the last hour ebbing away as he knew Ignis would be OK.

“Right, that’s Iggy taken care of, now to make sure you’re safe,” Gladio said, folding his arms as he walked through to the living room.

“Yeah, it’s been weeks since I last visited!” Prompto said, bouncing excitedly. The both of them stopped at the sight of the sea of rubbish still taking over every available surface despite Noct’s best work. “Dude, don’t you have a maid or something?”

“Uh, well...” Noctis stammered, but Gladio guessed the truth.

“If you say Iggy usually cleans this up after you then I’ll kick your ass into next week!” Gladio growled. 

Noctis huffed and folded his arms defensively. “It’s not like it’s always this bad-”

“Shiva’s tits!” Gladio swore, cracking his knuckles.

“I’m cleaning it up now!”

“Good. Don’t let us stop you,” Gladio said, and signalling to Prompto they both sat down on the sofa. Noctis glared but ultimately continued in his self-appointed task of clearing up. He dithered over throwing away Ignis’s broken glasses, but eventually set them to the side for Ignis to decide. Finally the kitchen sink was overflowing and he had eight bin bags ready to go. Gladio and Prompto escorted him to the dumpster underneath the building (Prompto had tried to help carry but Gladio stopped him- this was Noctis’s duty to the end, or at least until the third trip down when the pair decided Noctis had suffered enough and grabbed the last two bags).

“And what have we learned?” Gladio asked as he dived into the shopping.

“Not to let things get this bad again,” Noctis groaned as he scrubbed at the plates.

“Correct,” Gladio said, pulling out the Cup Noodles. “Looks like we have our dinner.”

The groceries were sorted into the cupboards, fridge and freezer (all of Noct’s purchases being judged) and the noodles and cookie pie were cooked and consumed. Eventually the three of them relaxed back on the sofa amidst a tidy living room playing King’s Knight on their phones.

“It’s gettin’ kinda late,” Noctis pointed out. “I suppose I could get the cushions off the sofa to make up some beds.”

“Don’t sweat it Princess, I can see you’re safe for tonight and if you need I can pop back when the physician visits tomorrow,” Gladio said, standing up to leave.

“Yeah, or if you need anyone to team up with again, gimme a call!” Prompto grinned.

“So long as you keep the noise down,” Gladio said, jerking his thumb towards the bedroom.

“Duh,” Noctis rolled his eyes. 

“Later,” Gladio waved.

“See you later, Noct!” Prompto said, bumping fists as he went by. Noctis closed the door on his friends and huffed at the quiet. 

His bed being currently in use, Noctis pulled the emergency blankets out of the cupboard and set to making a bed for himself on the sofa. In the past only Ignis or Prompto had ever slept on the sofa overnight, and though it was comfortable enough Noctis was unable to get to sleep. He turned this way and that, checked his phone, and wondered that the light on the cooker had to be so bright. Eventually, he decided his worry came from wanting to check on Ignis, so he grabbed the blankets and padded through to the bedroom.

Ignis was exactly how he had been left, his sleep seeming peaceful and deep so that he wasn’t disturbed as Noctis slipped into the room. Noctis longed to sneak under the covers and curl up against Ignis’s side, breath in a lungful of his natural musk and fall asleep listening to his heartbeat, but now probably wasn’t the best time with Ignis being ill. 

Instead, Noctis pulled together a nest of his dirty clothes to kneel down on and set himself at the foot of the bed, his head resting on his arms by Ignis’s shins. This way if Ignis woke up in the night, Noctis would be right there for him.

Finally able to mentally relax, Noct’s eyes drifted shut, his complicated feelings for Ignis settling in his mind.

*

Ignis opened his mouth to allow the royal physician to take out the thermometer. As far as they could tell he showed no signs of physical illness (though his blood pressure was slightly high) and the fainting spell was put down to exertion and lack of food. Thus the physician ordered him to rest for the day, get some food and liquids, and left.

Ignis sighed as he settled back against the pillows. The physician had informed him that Clarus had already signed Ignis off for the day, in addition to looking at his workload as so many councillors were taking advantage of Ignis and dumping their duties on him. While Ignis didn’t want to be seen as unreliable, Clarus had made it fairly clear there would be no arguing on the matter.

He could hear voices talking softly out in the hallway, and a minute later the front door closed as Noctis opened the bedroom door.

“I assure you, I don’t need you checking up with the doctor on me-” Ignis started, but paused on seeing the tray that Noctis was struggling through the door with. “What is this?”

“Breakfast,” Noctis announced. The tray was laden with a large bowl of soup, some thick slices of break, and a glass of orange juice. Ignis’s stomach growled at the warm smell. “I think I microwaved the soup OK.”

“Who are you and what have you done with Noct?” Ignis asked, regarding the Prince with a queer eye. Between this and Noctis cleaning, Ignis was not inclined to trust this doppelganger.

“Ha ha, very funny,” Noctis said. “It’s just- I dunno, I was thinking last night. You do so much for me, and I don’t want you thinking that I don’t appreciate that or anything. You getting ill... I don’t know what I’d do without you. I guess what I’m saying is I can look after things a bit more here, so at least when you come over it’s less like you’re working cleaning up after me and more like we can hang out like we used to...”

Ignis opened and closed his mouth at his highness’s consideration before replying, “Thank you Noct, I appreciate the gesture. Though I don’t want this lapse of health to make you think I’m unreliable-”

“No way! You’re, like, the most reliable person I know!” Noctis protested. “You’re always there for me, Specs, so let me look after you this one time?”

Ignis went to push his glasses up his nose, only to find they weren’t there. “Do you have my spectacles?”

“They kinda smashed when I had to get you off the kitchen floor,” Noctis grimaced. Ignis noticed his shoulder twitching.

“Is your back OK?”

“Yeah, I slept in a weird position.”

“My apologies, I appear to have stolen your bed for the time being. I will organise getting a new pair of spectacles-” His stomach growled loudly again. “-Later. For now, let’s inspect this food you have prepared.”

He shifted on the cushions and allowed Noctis to set the tray on his lap. “I followed the instructions on the can to the word, so I hope it’s cooked.”

Ignis plucked up the spoon and scooped up a spoonful of the soup, blew on it slightly and ate it down. He identified it as chicken and mushroom and in his ravenous state it was the best thing he had ever eaten. He soon devoured the whole bowl and plate of bread, mopping up any remnants. To avoid watching him eat, Noctis had taken to picking up his laundry off the bedroom floor.

“I must say- watching you do chores is doing wonders for my health,” Ignis smirked as he sipped down the orange juice.

“Dammit, Specs!” Noctis groaned, throwing the clothes into the laundry basket. “You'll have to show me how to use the washing machine anyway.”

Ignis nodded. “It's a date.” He only realised what he had said after he said it, and if Ignis did notice Noctis diving under the desk to hide his blushing face, he didn't mention it.

**Author's Note:**

> This fic kinda got away with me and I had to round it up kinda quickly as real life is getting in the way! I hope you enjoy it and Happy Holidays!


End file.
